Bai Yue took Ye Xi to a private club.
He was clearly a regular there and had his own private room. When it came time to order, he let Ye Xi choose first, but the menu overwhelmed him, and he only picked a dessert. So Bai Yue took care of the rest.
Surprisingly, when the dishes arrived, Ye Xi found that they all suited his taste perfectly—almost as if they had been tailored just for him.
Especially the grouper seaweed rolls. They were exactly his kind of food.
As Bai Yue had said, they finished eating quickly—and it wasn’t as awkward as Ye Xi had feared.
Bai Yue, popular even back in high school, handled everything gracefully and kept the conversation flowing just enough to avoid any uncomfortable silences.
He didn’t ask anything too personal either—just talked about school and teachers, and showed polite concern about his studies.
Ye Xi responded like a student being questioned. He gave short answers—until Bai Yue asked what university he planned to apply to. Then Ye Xi stammered for ages and couldn’t get a word out.
Compared to Bai Yue’s dazzling academic record, Ye Xi’s grades were truly embarrassing.
He remembered that Bai Yue had been preparing to apply to prestigious overseas universities in his first year of high school. But in the end, he had still taken the college entrance exam and scored high enough to land at the top of the school’s honor board. Every time Ye Xi walked past it, he couldn’t help but stare for a while.
He ducked his head and replied vaguely, “I haven’t thought about it.”
Bai Yue knew he didn’t want to answer, so he didn’t press.
But he did notice a bit of sauce at the corner of Ye Xi’s mouth.
The last dessert arrived just as the clock struck 6:30.
Ye Xi popped the final cherry into his mouth, then set down his spoon and gave Bai Yue a look—indicating they could leave.
That’s when the cherry sauce had gotten on him.
The deep red sauce clung to the edge of his pale pink lips. His lip line was well-defined, the shape plump and round like flower petals. When he pressed his lips together, the sauce smeared, making the edges glisten.
Under the bright lights, it was impossible for Bai Yue to miss.
His Adam’s apple shifted slightly, though his expression remained unreadable.
He stood up and walked over to Ye Xi. With their height difference, he looked down at him, then casually reached out and brushed his finger across Ye Xi’s lips.
“You’ve got something here.”
He spoke calmly, his voice flat. Then he lowered his eyes and wiped his finger with a napkin, like a true gentleman.
Ye Xi was stunned.
He hadn’t even realized what had happened—only that the corner of his mouth had suddenly felt soft.
It wasn’t until Bai Yue spoke and he saw the red smear on the white napkin that he understood.
He could no longer hide it. His pupils trembled, and he instinctively stepped back, bumping into the seat behind him as a red flush crept up his face.
Oh my god.
Bai Yue wiped his mouth.
He didn’t want to wash his face for the rest of the month.
But Bai Yue, ever the gentleman, simply looked at him with mild confusion, as if he didn’t understand why Ye Xi had such a big reaction.
Ye Xi had no choice but to swallow his panic.
“Th-thank you,” he stammered, then quickly averted his eyes, shot up from his seat, and rushed out of the private room.
A moment later, Bai Yue followed at a more leisurely pace. He was very familiar with the club’s owner and stopped to chat briefly.
The owner had seen Bai Yue bring many friends before—but never Ye Xi.
When he looked up, he saw a slender boy standing obediently in the corridor, dressed in a summer uniform from a certain high school, a pale neck peeking out from the collar. Even though his face was expressionless, he stood straighter and looked more elegant than the green bamboo in the courtyard.
“Who’s that? I’ve never seen him before,” the owner asked with a friendly smile.
Bai Yue turned his head and glanced over.
He replied casually, “My younger brother.”
The owner didn’t think much of it, assuming the boy was some distant relative of Bai Yue’s.
But Ye Xi, upon hearing those words, stiffened.
Even after getting back into Bai Yue’s car, he remained somewhat dazed.
He knew that Bai Yue calling him “younger brother” didn’t carry any special meaning.
He was Zheng Yang’s biological younger brother.
Their families were close, and Bai Yue often visited Zheng Yang’s home, so naturally, he would often run into him.
It wasn’t unreasonable for him to shamelessly refer to Bai Yue as “older brother.”
But Ye Xi still couldn’t help staring out the window in a daze.
When he was younger, he really had wished that he could be Bai Yue’s little brother.
He had moved into the Zheng family home with his mother when he was around seven or eight. Thin and small, he was constantly bullied by Zheng Yang.
Whenever Bai Yue came to visit, he would stop Zheng Yang. Even though he was friends with Zheng Yang, he never bullied Ye Xi. Not only would he scold Zheng Yang, but he would even coax Ye Xi with cake to cheer him up.
Back then, looking at Bai Yue’s youthful and handsome face, Ye Xi had genuinely wished that this person could be his big brother.
Bai Yue probably wouldn’t have locked him in a wardrobe.
Wouldn’t have thrown him into the basement.
Wouldn’t have scared him with snakes.
Thinking of this, Ye Xi glanced at Bai Yue, who was driving.
Time had passed, and the once slightly awkward teenager had grown into a gentle and elegant young man.
And Ye Xi had long since stopped daring to fantasize about Bai Yue being his brother.
But instead, he had started fantasizing about other things. So much so that just sitting in the same car made his mouth go dry, and he had to suppress himself hard to avoid slipping up.
Ye Xi thought to himself, I’m hopeless.
He had always known that he was just one among the many nameless admirers who secretly liked Bai Yue.
Nothing special.
If not for Zheng Yang, Bai Yue probably wouldn’t even remember what he looked like.
So on Bai Yue’s graduation day, as Ye Xi stood at the edge of the crowd, watching Bai Yue being surrounded like the star he was, he thought maybe it was time to let go of this person.
He should fall for someone else—he was only eighteen, not bad looking, and there was no reason he couldn’t meet someone who would like him back.
But now, sitting in the car alone with Bai Yue, with the dark night outside the window, and the faint, impatient sounds of car horns filtering through despite the good soundproofing—it only intensified the sense of being sealed in together.
He started to feel as though the very air inside the car was saturated with Bai Yue’s scent—that clean, pleasant fir tree cologne pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.
If he reached out his hand, he could touch Bai Yue’s sleeve, grab it, give it a gentle tug…
That thought awakened the little bug named “crush” in his heart again—reviving it from the brink of death into a wriggling, energetic thing dancing gleefully on his nerves.
Bai Yue noticed Ye Xi spacing out—his beautiful eyes dazed as he stared at his knees, lost in thought, the curve of his pale neck delicate and elegant like a swan’s.
Bai Yue was tempted to slow down the car.
But the drive back to school was only so long, and he had promised to get Ye Xi back by seven.
6:55 PM.
He parked the car at the back gate of the school. With a quiet screech, the car came to a gentle stop.
He took a deep breath and calmly said, “We’re here.”
Ye Xi finally came back to his senses.
He looked around. The familiar street scenes told him he was back at school.
He felt a little regretful, but his hands quickly moved to unbuckle the seatbelt.
“Thanks for the ride.”
He politely thanked Bai Yue, but he didn’t even dare look up at him. He was ready to slip away as fast as possible.
But just as he was about to push open the door, someone grabbed his clothes.
Bai Yue’s voice sounded from behind him: “Why are you in such a rush? Do you remember what the doctor said? Don’t get the wound wet, keep an eye on how you’re feeling. If you feel dizzy or get a headache, call me immediately. You know my number, right?”
Ye Xi, like a chick being grabbed by the back of the neck, still didn’t turn around—he just stiffly nodded.
“…I know.”
But Bai Yue’s gaze lingered on a small mole on the back of Ye Xi’s neck. After a moment’s hesitation, he reached out and gently tapped it.
“Turn around.”
He said to Ye Xi.
Ye Xi didn’t know what else Bai Yue wanted, but since he said so, he couldn’t refuse. He obediently turned around—and the next moment, a few leather boxes were shoved into his arms.
He froze and looked down to find they were boxes of chocolate.
“A friend gave them to me earlier, but I don’t really like sweets, so I left them in the car. I remember you like chocolate. Take them back and share with your roommates.”
Ye Xi was a bit confused but didn’t refuse. It was just some chocolate—not anything valuable.
He nodded obediently, stepped one foot out of the car, then paused as if remembering something. He forced a smile at Bai Yue and said again, “Thank you.”
He was, in fact, very striking—skin as pale as porcelain, sharp phoenix eyes, a lean and well-proportioned body. Just standing there, he looked like a fresh green leaf in spring.
But he usually kept such a low profile and always looked down, so his presence wasn’t very strong.
However, that small smile made all his features shine.
Bai Yue couldn’t help but pause. His fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel.
He noticed the little dimple that appeared on Ye Xi’s cheek when he smiled—it was faint and rare, like a tiny comma.
But before he could say anything, Ye Xi had already wiped that smile off his face like a miser guarding treasure. Then he slammed the door shut with a loud bang and dashed off into the school without a backward glance.
Like he was escaping for his life.
Bai Yue: “…”
He couldn’t help glancing into the rearview mirror. The face that stared back was clean, refined, with a high nose and thin lips—nothing strange about it, no visible flaws.
I don’t look that scary, he thought a little unhappily.
Then why does Ye Xi always act like he’s seen a ghost whenever he sees me? Like he can’t run away fast enough?
